Your First Motorcycle — a Buying Guide That Won't Cost You

Buying your first motorcycle is one of the more exciting purchases you’ll make. It’s also where most riders make their most expensive mistakes — choosing a bike that’s wrong for their licence, underestimating running costs, or buying something that looks great on the listing but turns out to be a nightmare on the road.

This guide is the version we’d give a friend. No commission, no upselling, no nonsense.

Start with your licence, not the bike

What you can legally ride defines what you should be looking at. In the UK:

• CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) — the entry-level certificate, valid for two years. Lets you ride 50cc–125cc motorcycles up to 11 kW restricted, with L-plates and no passenger.
• A1 licence — same capacity restrictions as CBT but no L-plates, no time limit on the licence.
• A2 licence — bikes up to 35 kW (47 bhp). The bracket includes most “middleweight” bikes and a lot of restricted larger machines.
• A licence — full unrestricted. Direct access from age 24, or progressive from A2 after two years.

If you’re on a CBT, the most realistic choice is a 125cc — typically a Honda CBR125R, Yamaha YZF-R125, Kawasaki Z125, or a Suzuki GSX-S125. These are designed for new riders. They’re affordable to insure, easy to handle, and they hold their value if you look after them.

What “easy to handle” actually means

For a first bike, weight and seat height matter more than power. A 125 might “only” make 11–15 bhp, but if it weighs 150 kg and you can flat-foot it at junctions, you’ll learn faster and crash less.

The bikes new riders consistently get on with:

• Yamaha YZF-R125 — light, sharp, looks like a sportbike. Great for confident new riders.
• Honda CBR125R / CB125R — bulletproof, easy to insure, predictable.
• Kawasaki Z125 / Ninja 125 — playful, good upright commuter geometry.
• Suzuki GSX-S125 / GSX-R125 — slightly more aggressive ergonomics, great value used.

Avoid heavy 250s and 300s as a first bike unless you specifically want to skip 125s for size reasons — they’re harder to commute on and the insurance premium for a new rider is brutal.

Budget honestly

Buy the bike, then prepare for the costs that aren’t the price tag:

1. Insurance — for a new rider on a 125, typically £400–900/year. Get quotes BEFORE you put a deposit down.
2. Kit — helmet (£100–300), gloves (£40–80), jacket (£100–300), trousers (£100–200), boots (£80–200). Used or last-season kit is fine if it’s not crash-damaged.
3. CBT certificate — £130–180 depending on the school.
4. Tax — £25/year for a 125.
5. MOT — first MOT at three years old, then annually. ~£30 each.
6. First service — every 3–6 months for a learner mileage. Plan £80–200 a service.
7. A few quid for the unexpected — chain, tyres, brake pads. Set aside £200–300 for first-year wear items.

If you’re spending £2,500 on the bike, your real first-year cost is closer to £4,000–5,000 by the time you’ve insured it, kitted up, and serviced it.

What to look for in a used bike

When you’re standing in front of a used 125, here’s the checklist:

• Service history — receipts beat verbal claims. Look for stamps in the service book, dated invoices, or a printout from the dealer’s system.
• Chain and sprockets — pull the chain off the back sprocket at the 4 o’clock position. If it lifts more than half a sprocket tooth, the chain is shot. New chain + sprockets is £80–150 fitted.
• Tyre condition — date code on the sidewall (it’ll read like “1124” = week 11 of 2024). Anything older than 5 years is past its prime even if the tread looks fine.
• Frame, fairings, bar ends — scuffs on bar ends, brake levers, foot pegs all suggest a previous owner dropped it. Not always a dealbreaker but a negotiating point.
• Steering head bearings — turn the handlebars lock-to-lock with the front wheel off the ground. If it notches in the centre, the bearings need replacement.
• Cold start — ask to see it started from cold. Listen for rattles, smoke, weird idle.
• Documentation — V5C, MOT history, service book. Match the frame number on the V5 to the bike. Confirm the previous owner count matches what the seller said.

What to avoid

A few common traps when buying your first bike:

• Cat S / Cat N salvage — bikes that were declared total losses by insurance and rebuilt. They can be perfectly safe but you need to know what was repaired, and resale value is hammered. Ask explicitly.
• No HPI check — outstanding finance, theft markers, write-off categories. Use HPI Check or AA Cars Buyer’s Check (£10–20) before paying. Or buy from a dealer who provides one.
• “Sold as seen” — no consumer protection if the bike turns out to have a hidden fault. Stick with VAT-registered dealers or sellers offering at least a warranty.
• Major modifications — non-standard exhaust, rejetting, tuning kits. They can void warranties and complicate MOT/insurance.

Where TH Motors fits

Every bike at TH Motors comes with:

• A 6-month warranty as standard
• A free HPI check (certificate provided)
• Minimum 6 months MOT
• A fresh pre-sale service

We’re appointment-only, which means you get the bike’s full attention when you visit — not a forecourt sales pitch. If you’re CBT, A2 or full-licence and looking at your first or next bike, browse the current showroom, the CBT-friendly selection, or the A2-eligible bikes, then call to book a viewing.

The honest summary

Your first bike doesn’t need to be perfect. It needs to be:

1. Legal for your licence
2. Mechanically sound
3. Affordable to insure
4. Documented well enough to confirm 1–3

Get the boring stuff right and the rest takes care of itself. Welcome to riding.